System for preventing build-up of snow, ice and icicles from the sides of a roof, a building or the vertical front of a gutter

ABSTRACT

A system for preventing buildup of snow, ice and icicles ( 301 ) from the sides of a roof, a building or the vertical front of a gutter ( 100, 203 ), a tunnel or a roof wall or a cliff along roads or railroads outside a tunnel comprising a profile ( 102, 202 ) that is attached to a gutter ( 100, 203 ) and a rail ( 104 ) attached to said profile ( 102, 202 ) further characterized by that said profile ( 102, 202 ) continues downwards from the upper edge ( 105, 201 ) of the outward facing side of the gutter and ends up in a lip ( 103 ), said profile ( 102, 202 ) continues from the inside of said lip ( 103 ) to the underside of the gutter ( 100, 203 ) to form a part where said rail ( 104 ) is attached.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention regards a system for preventing buildup of snow,ice and icicles from the sides of a roof, a building or the verticalfront of a gutter, a tunnel or a roof wall or a cliff along roads orrailroads outside a tunnel.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

During the winter season, and particularly when winter is turning intospring, icicles start forming and hanging down from the gutters. Onereason for this happening is that during the day when it gets warm, snowand ice on the roof of the building melts and during the evening andnight it freezes again forming icicles hanging down from the gutters.When the icicles get too big or the temperature rises it is a big riskthat the icicles will fall down.

There are several injuries caused each year in Norway because of iciclesfalling onto the sidewalks underneath. In a worst case scenario fallingice can lead to death.

In the technical regulations of the Plan and Buildings Act §7-45, it isstated that all buildings must be secured, so that ice and snow cannotfall down. This is usually done by placing snow guards on the roof. Incases of extraordinary amounts of snow this is not always sufficient,and the owner of the house has to remove snow and ice from the roof withladders, platforms and the like.

Several cases of liability have been before the courts, and thehomeowners are in most cases imposed liability for damage to both personand cars and it can lead to fines of several hundreds of thousands ofkroners or even prison sentences.

US 2004/0256412 A1 describes a deicing device for placing ice meltingmaterial into a rain gutter. The device is mounted on a handle andpermits the placing of an ice melting material from ground level withoutthe need for a ladder. The deicing device has a side which is placedover the rain gutter and the edge of the roof. On the opposite side theactuating mechanism is located.

A problem with this solution is that it is intended for houses under acertain height and further it is a solution that demands manual labor.

WO 2007/127527 A2 describes a gutter system with integral snow and icemelting cables which prevents the formation of snow and ice. The guttersystem comprises an elongated gutter, a gutter cover, and a pair ofheating elements. The gutter cover presents a longitudinal axis andincludes a rear wall adapted to be affixed to the building, a front wallspaced from the rear wall, and a bottom wall extending between a loweredge of the rear wall and a lower edge of the front wall.

US 2006/0032153 A1 describes a gutter heating system for preventing theformation of ice or melting ice in and adjacent a gutter system includesa recirculation fluid transportation circuit a portion of which isdisposed adjacent a portion of the gutter system, a heat source forheating an antifreeze fluid and a pump in fluid communication with thecircuit for moving the heated fluid there through.

The problem with these solutions is that they use a lot of energy tryingto melt the ice and snow on the roof and they will not work in a harshclimate like the one in northern countries. Further these solutions canworsen the situation as they can make the bottom layers of snow and iceunstable which again can lead to large amounts of snow and ice fallingfrom the roofs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the present invention, as it is stated inthe set of claims, to solve the problems stated above. This is done by asystem that removes the snow, ice and icicles before it is able to buildup. The problem is solved by a cart running back and forth on rails assoon as ice or build-up of ice is detected. These rails are attached toa profile that is either attached to an existing gutter or as a part ofa new gutter.

The cart has at least one device attached with the ability to removeoverhanging snow and icicles from gutters or other places where it is arisk of build-up. The device can typically be a chainsaw, a knife, acourse file, a milling machine, a controlled stream of air, either warmor cold, a controlled stream of air containing particles, a circular sawblade, or a stick knocking of snow and ice. The stick can also bemotorised with the ability to give the snow, ice or icicle at least onerapid blow.

This solution solves the problem with build-up of snow, ice and iciclesin a safe way with less use of energy. Further this is a solution thatworks in harsh climates. Since it can be made fully automated itrequires little or no involvement when operated. Necessary maintenanceand repairs will be easier.

The present invention has the object of removing unwanted ice andbuild-up of ice on or over unwanted areas. It is intended to be acontinually repeated process. As soon as ice or icicles are detected theprocess is initiated and the main point of the invention is that thisprocess is repeated and repeated at the moment there is any build-up ofice or icicles. This results in that the downfall is in the form ofminute particles that is swept away by the wind. The system complieswith the public demand regarding notification of possible danger ofsnow, ice and icicles falling from the e.g. roof, a building or thevertical front of a gutter and the removal of the warning signs when thedanger is over. The same system can be used in tunnels, on the side of acliff or any other place where there is danger of falling snow, ice oricicles.

This flag warning system is interactive with the system. As soon as thecart starts its job, the warning flags are lowered to warn people aboutpossible danger. As soon as the cart is finished with the job thewarning flags will be raised to its vertical parked position and show nomore possible danger. The flag can be equipped with blinking lightsand/or an audio signal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of an embodiment of the presentinvention where there is a profile attached to an existing gutter.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment of the presentinvention where the gutter and the profile is one unit resulting in anew type of gutter.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lower part of the profile of thepresent invention as stated in both FIG. 1 and FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the present invention mounted on abuilding.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the present invention mounted in atunnel.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a first embodiment of the presentinvention. In this embodiment a profile 102 is attached to an existinggutter 100. The profile 102 is attached to the gutter 100 in two areas.Further the profile 102 has a set of rails 104 attached to it.

The profile 102 is attached in one end to the upper edge 105 of theoutward facing side of the gutter 100. From this attachment point 101 itcontinues in a downwardly direction. This ends in a lip 103 forming anextremity onto which snow and ice naturally will build up. Thisconstruction forces the ice and snow to build up in this area ratherthan anywhere else. Since this area is within the working area of thecart any build-up of snow and ice will be regularly removed.

The profile 102 continues from this extremity to form a part where therail 104 is attached. This part is protected by the lip 103 in order toprevent ice and snow from building up in this area. This keeps the rails104 free of snow, ice and icicles so that the cart can move freely backand forth.

The rails 104 are attached to the profile 102 using either screws,rivets, clips or glue or other similar methods. This can also be thesecond place where the profile 102 is attached to the gutter 100.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of another embodiment of the presentinvention where a new gutter 203 and the profile 202 is put together by2 or more pieces into one unit ready to be mounted. This embodiment hasa gutter 203 with an inner side 200 that is higher than the outer side.This elongated inner side 200 extends underneath the roof boardfittings. This in order to give the gutter 203 a stable mounting surfaceand preventing water from running out of the gutter 203 on the inside ofsaid gutter 203. Further the gutter 203 is produced in a thickermaterial than conventional gutters, conventional gutters having anaverage thickness of 0.6-0.8 mm. In addition the upper edge 201 of theoutward facing side of the gutter 203 is curled inwards. These featurestogether make the gutter 203 a self-contained construction, renderingthe use of gutter fittings and hangers unnecessary.

The profile 202 is preferably made in a light weight material whereinthe bends and joints providing the required stiffness. The profile 202can also be made in 2 or more separate parts each having differentthickness.

Alternatively, the gutter 203 and the profile 202 can also be made inone continuous piece.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the lower part of the profile 102 of thepresent invention. Here it is shown how the lip forms an extremity ontowhich snow and ice 301 naturally will build up. From the inside of thisextremity it extends a part where the rail 104 is attached. This part isprotected by the lip in order to prevent ice and snow 301 from buildingup in this area. This keeps the rails 104 free so the cart 300 can movefreely back and forth. The part where the rail 104 is attached ends upin a downwards bend 303 in order to prevent water coming from betweenthe roof and the gutter onto the rails 104. The rails 104 are made of ahard material, preferably metal. The rails 104 are attached to theprofile 102, 202 using either screws, rivets, clips or glue 302. Thiscan also be the second place where the profile 102 or 202 is attached tothe gutter.

The cart 300 moves along, in or on, the rails 104. The rails 104 extendat least the entire length of the gutters. The cart 300 can be attachedto the rails 104 by either a set of wheels gripping around the rails104.

Alternatively the cart 300 can have a lip or a set of lips grippingaround the rails 103. In this solution the rails 103 are preferably madeof a material with low friction. This ensures that the sliding motion ofthe cart is as easy and as cost efficient as possible. It can even be inthe form of an electromagnetic levitation.

The cart 300 can be propelled along the system of rails 104 either by aninternal motor on the cart 300 or an externally placed method ofpropulsion.

An internally placed motor can propel the cart 300 either by having anon board rechargeable battery supplying the motor with power or it canget electricity via the rails 104, or it can get electricity from thedocking station.

The internally placed motor can propel the cart 300 either by using atleast one wheel propelling the cart 300 using friction. Alternativelythe rails 104 can be in the form of a rack with the cart 300 having amatching pinion or a roller chain and sprocket solution, belt driven, athreaded spindle or in the form of an electromagnetic levitation.

Using an externally placed method of propulsion the cart 300 can bemanoeuvred back and forth by pushing or pulling using either a wire or arope, a roller chain and sprocket solution, belt driven or a threadedspindle attached to the end of the cart 300, alternatively thepropulsion can be in the form of an electromagnetic levitation.

The cart 300 can be controlled by one or more docking stations. The cart300 returns to the docking stations after use. Further the dockingstation is the place where the cart 300 is recharged, lubricated andmaintained and a place protecting it from the weather conditions.

The cart 100 can be activated either at a predetermined time e.g. at acertain time every day or preferably as often as it is needed this beingup to several times an hour. Alternatively the cart 300 can be activatedby a sensor system sending a signal to the cart 300 or the dockingstation informing them about buildup of snow and ice. A furtheralternative for controlling the activation of the cart 300 can be a setof sensors measuring meteorological data such as temperature, moisture,snow and wind etc. or a photocell or a laser cell. The system can alsobe activated manually by a person.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the present invention mounted on abuilding. Here it is shown that the cart 300 has a set of tools 400attached that make it possible to remove snow, ice and icicles 301 fromboth the side and the underside of the gutter 100 and 203. These tools400 are attached in one end to the cart 300, preferably to the front. Atthe other end of the tools 400 it can be attached a device for removingice. This can be in the form of a chainsaw, a knife, a heated wire, arotating or oscillating head with protruding pins or plugs like e.g. acourse file, a milling machine, a controlled stream of air, either warmor cold, a controlled stream of air containing particles, a circular sawblade, an electric arc, a laser, blasting or a stick knocking of snowand ice. The stick can also be motorised with the ability to give thesnow, ice or icicle at least one rapid blow.

Additionally the upper edge 101 and 201 of the outward facing side ofthe gutter 100 or 203 can have a heating element, like a filament,either as an added de-icing element or an anti-icing element. This ismeant to be an additional option for harsh conditions when equipment ismounted in extreme environments. The lip can also have a heatingelement.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the present invention mounted in atunnel. It is shown that the cart 300 has a set of tools 400 attachedfor removing and preventing build-up of snow, ice and icicles 301. Thesetools 400 are attached in one end to the cart 300. At the other end ofthe tools 400 it can be attached a device for removing snow, ice andicicles 301. This can be in the form of a chainsaw, a knife, a heatedwire, a rotating or oscillating head with protruding pins or plugs likee.g. a course file, a milling machine, a controlled stream of air,either warm or cold, a controlled stream of air containing particles, acircular saw blade, an electric arc, a laser, blasting or a stickknocking of snow and ice. The stick can also be motorised with theability to give the snow, ice or icicle at least one rapid blow.

Further the rails can either be attached to bars or beams 501 whichagain are attached directly to the tunnel or they can be encased in aprotective cover 500.

1-14. (canceled)
 15. A system for preventing buildup of snow, ice and icicles from the sides of a roof, a building or the vertical front of a gutter, a tunnel or a roof wall or a cliff along roads or railroads outside a tunnel comprising a profile that is attached to a gutter and a rail attached to said profile further characterized in that said profile continues downwards from the upper edge of the outward facing side of the gutter and ends up in a lip, said profile continues from the inside of said lip to the underside of the gutter to form a part where said rail is attached.
 16. The system as described in claim 15 wherein said profile is attached in one end to the upper edge of the outward facing side of the gutter.
 17. The system as described in claim 15 wherein said profile is attached to the gutter in a second place using either screws, rivets, clips or glue.
 18. The system as described in claim 17 wherein said rail and said second place the profile is attached to the gutter is the same place.
 19. The system as described in claim 15 wherein said part where the rail is attached ends up in a downwards bend.
 20. The system as described in claim 15 wherein said gutter and the profile is put together by two or more pieces into one unit ready to be mounted.
 21. The system as described in claim 15 wherein said gutter and the profile is in one continuous unit.
 22. The system as described in claim 15 wherein said system is interactive with a warning system giving a visual or aural warning signal when said system is active.
 23. The system as described in claim 20 wherein the inner side of the gutter is higher than the outer side of the gutter.
 24. The system as described in claim 21 wherein this elongated inner side extends underneath the roof board fittings.
 25. The system as described in claim 21 wherein the gutter is produced in a thick material, to provide the required stiffness in order to make it a self-contained construction.
 26. The system as described in claim 21 wherein the upper edge of the outward facing side of the gutter is curled inwards.
 27. The system as described in claim 21 wherein the profile is made in a light weight material with the bends and joints providing the required stiffness.
 28. The system as described in claim 21 wherein the profile can be made in two or more separate parts each having different thickness.
 29. The system as described in claim 23 wherein this elongated inner side extends underneath the roof board fittings.
 30. The system as described in claim 23 wherein the gutter is produced in a thick material, to provide the required stiffness in order to make it a self-contained construction.
 31. The system as described in claim 23 wherein the upper edge of the outward facing side of the gutter is curled inwards.
 32. The system as described in claim 23 wherein the profile is made in a light weight material with the bends and joints providing the required stiffness.
 33. The system as described in claim 23 wherein the profile can be made in two or more separate parts each having different thickness. 